It’s turtle nesting season in the Caribbean and in St. Kitts, conservationists warn that some nesting beaches are being damaged by illegal sand-mining:
The biodiversity of St Kitts and Nevis, including the sea turtle population, is under threat due to the increase in illegal sand-mining that is taking place.
Due to these concerns, the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Environment organized a media tour, which was coordinated by Conservation Officer Andy Blanchette. It was designed to inform about damage already caused by illegal sand mining and future disastrous consequences if this activity continues.
Sea turtles use the sand to nest their eggs and are among the animals for which the beach is a means of survival of the species. As such, Austin “Jay” Farier represented the St Kitts Sea Turtle Monitoring Network (SKSTMN) at the tour.
“Some sea turtles do prefer to nest closer to the vegetation,” Farier informed. “There are other sea turtles that prefer to nest in the middle of the beach. Once a nest is washed over at least three times by sea water, all the eggs are pretty much finished.”
This point was reinforced by director of SKSTMN Dr Kimberly Stewart, who further noted that tractors and other heavy machinery used for sand mining can also destroy turtle eggs.
“If they [heavy equipment] ride over a sea turtle nest, they can compact the nest and cause puncturing of the eggs if there are sticks or any debris,” Stewart explained. “Also sea turtle eggs have tiny pores in which they have air exchange in which those tiny embryos can breathe and the compaction of the sand also prevents them from having that little air pocket and they can suffocate.”
The director of SKSTMN added that heavy equipment can dig up turtle nests, nesting females can fall into the large pits left behind when the sand is removed and the hatchlings may not be able to find their way to the sea.
Read the full article at Caribbean News Now for more.
[Photo: robert dean]
